Thickening-thread mechanism for knitting-machines



(o Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. SEDMIHRADSKY. THIGKENING THREADMEGHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

No.' 535,226'. I Patented Mar. 5, 1895.

(No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. A. SEDMIHRADSKY. THIGKENING THREAD MBCHANISM FOR KNITTING'MAHINBS. No.535,226.

Patented Ma.1.^5, 1895.

ggf.; w. MW @W Unsinn STATES PATENT @trionfi ADOLPH SEDMIHRADSKY, OFMILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

THICKENING-THREAD MECHANISNI FOR KNITTING-IVIACHINES.

'ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 535,226, dated March 5,1895.

Application led April 25, 1894.

dles, such additional thread being desirably added to the single threadbeing continuousi y knitted, at suitable and proper time for the purposeof increasing the thickness and strength of the article being knitted incer- Atain parts thereof, as for instance the palm of the hand of aglove, or the knee of a stocking.

The invention consists in the parts and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed, or their equivalents.

In the drawings, Figure 1, is an elevation vof my improved mechanism, inconnection with the cylinders and base of a circular knitting machinewith which my mechanism is adapted to be used. Fig. 2, is a top plan ofmy improved mechanism, showing also its relation to and connection withthe cylinders and base of a circular knitting machine, which are shownin outline. Fig. 3, is an elevation of my improved mechanism, withfragments of the cylinders and base of the knitting machine, the Viewbeing at right angles to that shown in Fig. l. Fig. 4, is anillustration of the fabric in single and double threads, that themachine with my improved mechanism produces.

In the drawings, A is the base of a circular knitting machine.

B is the needle cylinder, provided with vertical grooves in itsperiphery in which the needles C (l reciprocate vertically. "The needlecylinder is xed on the base A` and the cam cylinder D revolves about thecylinder B,- and is provided with cams or other suitable devices forreciprocating the needles vertically in the usual and well known manner.

The means for rotating the cylinderD and Serial No. 508,923. (No model.)

reciprocating the needles C form no part of my invention, and being wellknown are not illustrated.

Forsupportingthe principal operative parts of my improved mechanism onthe cam cylinder, a plate E is secured permanently to the cylinder. Theplate E is provided with a head piece F which projects outwardly .at thetop of the plate and is located opposite the hooks or other extremitiesof the needles when at the highest point to which they are elevated inthe process of knittingA This head piece F is provided with asubstantially flat vertical face F', and with an aperture G near theinner extremity of the face F', the axis of which aperture issubstantially in a line radial to the needle cylinder. A guard plate Gis fixed to the head piece F at its inner end. The aperture G extendsthrough the guard piece, A piece of wire H so bent as to be providedwith eyes, is secured to the head piece F, and serves as a guide throughwhich the threads I, I severally run, the threads .both running throughthe guide aperture G. It will be observed that the guides II and G areso constructed and located that the snpplementary thread I extends andruns close valongside of the vertical face F of the head piece F.

For clamping the supplementary thread I to the head piece F, so that itcannot run through its guides to the needles, thus compelling it to bebroken off under the strain of the revolving cam cylinder, and forfeeding the thread forward to the needles again at the proper time, adog K provided with a head K is pivoted medially, on the block L, so asto swing radially of the needle cylinder, which block in turn is mountedor swiveled on plate E, so as to swing or oscillate thereon, in a planetangential to the cam-cylinder.

For the purpose of holding the head K ot' the dog K, up to the headpiece F and against the interposed thread I, a heavy spring or elasticfinger M fixed on the block L bears against a block N adjustable on therod O, which rod is loose and movable vertically in bearings therefor onthe plate E. A spring P coiled about the rod O bearing at its lowerextremity against a pin'in the rod and at its upper extremity against afixed support, is adapted to hold the rod downwardly yield- ICO ingly tothe limit of its travel. The lower extremity of the rod O travels duringaportion of the revolution of the cam cylinder in a groove therefor in aring Q detachably fixed Yon the base A about the cylinder D. The rod Otravels in this groove during all that portion of the revolution of theneedle cylinder, during which the two threads I and I are being fed toand taken by the needles, and at such predetermined point as it isdesired to break off the supplemental thread I and hold it against beingfed to the needles, the groove in the ring Q terminates and an incline Rraises the rod O as the cam cylinder revolves on to the top of the ringQ, whereon it travels until such time in the process of knitting as itis desired to again supply the needles with the supplementary thread Iand double the fabric, at which point an incline R is provided at thebeginning of the groove in the ring, down which incline the rod O runsunder the action of the spring` P. The adjustment of parts is such thatwhen the rod O is traveling on the top of the ring Q the bearing of thefinger M against the block N, holds the head K firmly against the threadI interposed between it and the head piece F, so as to grip the threadand prevent its feeding to the needles. When the rod O dropsinto thegroove in the ring Q the bearing of the linger M against the block N isreleased, or so slight that the spring S interposed between the plate Eand the dog K, throws the dog away from the head piece F, and at thesame time tilts the upper extremity of the dog outwardly, radially ofthe needle cylinder.

The lower extremity of the dog K, bearing against aboss T on the plateE, moves around near the ring Q,which has a radially projecting cam Qlocated at the proper point, (j ust before the supplementary thread I isto be released) to Contact with said lower extremity and throw the headof the dog inwardly toward the needles, in the direction of the movementof the thread at this point, which is just in front of the point atwhich the thread is fed to the needles, thereby carrying the thread withit so as to present the end of the thread to them. This cam Q istherefore so located on the ring Q, as to be reached just a momentbefore the rod O goes down the incline R into the groove in the ring sothat the movement of the head K inwardly radially (as a thread-feeder)occurs while the head is still gripping the thread with more or lessforce against the face F, thus insuring asufiicient gripping of thethread by the moving head K to surely feed it forward toward theneedles. A finger T projecting radially rigidly from the plate E servesas a guide for the dog K. A cam latch U revoluble on the plate E,provided with a circular milled head for rotating it,is adapted to beturned up under the block N for lifting and holding the rod O up out ofaction, and in such manner that the head K will bear constantly againstthe thread I and prevent its feeding to the needles.

Fig. 4 illustrates a fragment of the fabric that is knitted by a machinewith my improved mechanism, in whichV represents that portion of thefabric knitted with a single thread and Wa portion of the fabric knittedwith two threads. It will be noticed that the part of the fabric knittedwith two threads has no larger loops than the part knitted with a singlethread. The portion of the fabric knitted with two threads, and thusmade thicker may'extend any desired portion of the distance around thearticle being knitted, it being only necessary to supply a ring Q havinga groove for the travel of the rod O, which groove shall be of suchlength, as the desired width of the thickened part of the fabric. y

It will be observed that, of the ring Q,only the elevated trackway andthe cam Q are utilized mechanically, and hence any device embodyingthese two features would be an equivalent of the ring. The ring Q issecured detachably to the base A by means of screws through lugs on thering (seen at the right in Fig. 2) or by any equivalent means adapted tosecure the elevated part of the ring, (seen at the left in Fig. 2,) tothe base.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with a revolving camcylinder of a knitting machine,of a plate fixed on the cam-cylinder, said plate having a verticalradially-extendingface for the bearing of a supplementary thread, a dogmounted on the cylinder so as to swing tangentially of the cam-cylindertoward and from the face on the plate, adapted thereby to grip a threadinterposed between the face and the dog, a rod mounted on thecam-cylinder and movable vertically thereon adapted to hold the dog upto the fixed vertical face on the plate, a stationaryelevated trackwaypartially around the cylinder adapted to elevate the rod during itstravel thereon, and a spring interposed between the dog and a fixedsupport adapted to force the dog away from the face on the plate whenthe dog is no longer held thereto by the rod on its elevatedtrack\vay,substantially as described.

2. The combination with the revolving camcylinder of a knitting machine,and a plate affixed thereto against which a thread may be gripped, of ablock swiveled thereon, a threadgripping dog mounted on the block, afinger xed on the block, a vertically movable rod mounted on thecam-cylinder, said rod having a part adapted to bear against and actuatethe linger on the swiveled block, and means substantially as describedfor elevating and lowering the rod.

3. The combination with the revolving camcylinder of a knitting machine,and a plate affixed thereto against which a thread may lIoo be gripped,ot' a block swiveled thereon, a thread-gripping dog mounted on theblock, a inger fixed on the block, a vertically movable rod mounted onthe cam-cylinder, said rod being provided with a part bearing againstthe finger on the swiveled block, an elevated trackway adapted to liftthe rod intermittingly, and a spring adapted to depress the rod and holdit out of action,substantially as described.

4. The combination with the revolving camcylinder of a knitting machinehaving a relatively fixed thread-bearing thereon, of a thread-feedingdog mounted thereon to swing radially thereof, a spring adapted to forcethe head of the dog outward radially, and a fixed cam against which apart of the dog contacts and by which the head of the dog is swunginwardly radially alongside the thread-bearing aforesaid moving in thedirection of the movement of the thread between said bearing and thedog, substantially as described.

5. In a circular knitting machine, the combination with a cam-cylinder,a plate having a thread-bearing face fixed thereon, and a dog mounted onthe cylinder so as to have lateral and radial movement opposite thethread bearing face, of a fixed elevated trackway, means between saidtrackway and said dog whereby said trackway is made to swing said doglaterally, and a cam adjacent and opposite to the trackway adapted toswing said dog radially, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPH SEDMIHRADSKY.

Witnesses:

ANNA V. FAUST, C. T. BENEDICT.

